Wednesday, September 25, 2013

25 September 2010 - Maybe He Developed A Taste For Celebrity

On 25 September 2010, FAR Rabat goalkeeper Khalid Askri made an error that saw him become an internet sensation for the second time in just over two weeks.

Fifteen days earlier, Askri blew a penalty save that went viral and racked up millions of views on YouTube. In a cup match against Maghreb Fez that went to a penalty shootout, he parried a kick, but as he was celebrating, the ball's spin carried it into the net for a score. Maghreb went on to win, 0-0 (7-6).

Back at home for the first time since that game (and an intervening away draw with Wydad Casablanca), FAR Rabat hosted KAC Kenitra in the league. Right before the break, with the match scoreless, one of his teammates chested the ball back to Askri, who received it at his feet just inside the 18-yard box. But he failed to notice the Kenitra player bearing down on him, who stole the ball away and drove it into the empty net.

It proved to be too much for the goalkeeper, who immediately ran off the pitch, stripping off his shirt on the way and beating himself in the head with his hands while avoiding his teammates' attempts to restrain him. That incident was also caught on video and went viral like the one before.

Although many viewers speculated that Askri had given up goalkeeping after that match, he finished the season with FAR Rabat, then spent a year with Chabab Rif Al Hoceima before moving to his current club, Raja Casablanca, in 2012.